2024-02-05 21:24:58 ¶ ●

I mean, we already know who the Chesapeake Ripper is but no one in the show does, so there is a certain sense of mystique to who he is and what he’s like, right? Will must have wondered what this cruel man must probably be like; he must blend in well, but who could possibly — where does he live—? What does he look like, how do we get him? What is his diction like, what does he dislike? Why does he dislike? Right? Right. Now Will has been framed by Hannibal. He’s locked up. He realises Hannibal is the copycat first. Then he figures out Hannibal is the Chesapeake Ripper. Now they overlap: The Chesapeake Ripper is this kind of a person. Intelligent, normal (as much as), trustworthy, competent. He enjoys cooking elaborate meals. He’s a psychiatrist. He’s Will’s psychiatrist. He wears custom clothing, he has a European accent. He’s old money. He took Miriam Lass. He mentored Alana Bloom. He framed Will. He’s been in Will’s house and they’ve been searching for him all over the country. All of a sudden, it’s all there. He’s known the Chesapeake Ripper intimately before he’d really met him. That is a chilling re-contextualisation. I’m very fond of it.